Sunday, July 8, 2012

Ultimate Reset Wrap-Up - Did I Always Feel Like Poo?

So I'm done. 21 days of clean eating. 21 days without refined sugar, caffeine or alcohol. 21 days without red meat. 19 days without chicken or fish. 14 days without dairy. I feel very accomplished. I'm proud of myself for sticking with it.

Today I met my cousin for breakfast. For my first post-reset meal I had decaf coffee (I still like coffee but I have no desire to become addicted to caffeine again), a veggie & cheese omelet and I asked to replace my toast or biscuit choice with a potato pancake. This place has AMAZING potato pancakes.

I expected the omelet to either be out of this world amazing or repulsive. It was neither. It was good.

I expected to feel crappy after eating it. I did not.

So about an hour later, on my way out to visit my guy, I stopped & got a frappe. I'm not gonna lie. It made me a little queasy.

For an early dinner I got a steak salad from Panera. And a flower cookie. And I got A LOT queasy.

It was too much too soon. But the thing is this would have been a very typical Sunday of eating for me a month ago. Hell back in the day (a year ago) that veggie omelet would have been fried eggs and french toast and the steak salad would have been a big mac. And I would have felt .... well I was going to say I would have felt fine...but it would be more accurate to say I would have felt normal.

Tonight, even with a good six hours between me and any refined sugar, caffeine or red meat, even after a Shakeology to try to equalize things, I don't mind saying I feel like poo.

Did I always feel like poo & didn't know it?

So the plan....fruit for breakfast. I like it. That's another thing I've gained from this. I've dispelled the myth that I couldn't feel satisfied with fruit or that I would be hungry an hour later. And it makes me feel....well....like I'm doing something good for myself. I may add a little yogurt but it will be mostly fruit.

Shakeology for lunch. I'm taking my shiny new (yet ugly green) Ninja to work and will have Shakeology with half water and half almond milk for lunch. I will be able to accomplish things other than eating (like...yaknow...blogging, over lunch, what a concept) at lunchtime and won't have to be bothered with packing lunches.

I will go back to snacking. I miss my afternoon oatmeal. And I do get hungry in the afternoon. If I feel like I need a morning snack it will be veggies and hummus. Healthy snacks. But that's never been a problem. Daytime eating has never been a problem.

I will not pick up my two diet coke a day (at least) habit. I have no desire. I don't miss it, and I don't crave it. I can't say I am going to completely stay away from artificial sweeteners, but they will not be a daily staple of my diet.

And I will not start up my daily iced coffee habit again. I missed it BAD when I started, but even with decaf coffee it's basically a big cup of chemicals and skim milk. MAYBE, if I can find a way to make it without so many chemicals, I may have it as an occasional treat. But I dumped my sugar free pudding mix (the secret ingredient) down the drain and will not buy more.

So that brings me to dinner. I'm going to shoot for meat no more than three times a week. That includes red meat, poultry and fish. You guys for me this is HUGE. I have always included some animal protein source with lunch and dinner. But The Reset has shown me that I don't need it. I like it, but I can't say I've really craved or missed it. I will absolutely incorporate some of the Reset recipes, but I hope to collect some more. I've started perusing vegetarian and vegan websites.

And if I snack in the evenings, it will be along the lines of what I snacked on during The Reset. Jicama, baby carrots & hummus, an apple & peanut butter.

This will be more calories overall than I've had on The Reset, but having lost 14 lbs over 3 weeks is not a pace it would be wise to keep. It's great for a cleanse and a jump start but to be honest I felt kind of weak yesterday working in the yard. Yes the 97 degree heat had something to do with it but I think part of it was just too few calories. They tell you not to exercise on The Reset for a reason.

So I'm going to be working out. I'm going to start Les Mills Pump again on..um...I'm thinking Tuesday. Tomorrow morning I have to go for bloodwork before work (to find out how much my cholesterol dropped) and I have a hair appointment in the evening (priorities people) so Tuesday morning I shall pump iron and earn those snacks and the occasional steak or chicken breast.